After years of dealing with the most horrific and terrifying of incidents, I suffered with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other associated illnesses. After destroying almost everything that was important to me, constant flashbacks, panic attacks and many more life debilitating symptoms I finally sought help. My girlfriend, family and my children gave me the strength to get through the toughest challenge in my life. Others are not so fortunate to have people around them that care.

Ther hardest thing of all is to make that first step, that phone call and accept help. However, when that phone call is made sufferers need some one on the other end of the phone that can really help them and to offer the support that 'Mind' can offer.  

Mind helps people to take control over their mental health. They do this to make it possible for people who experience mental distress to live full lives, and play their full part in society. They provide information and advice, training programmes, counselling, treatments and any other help they can.

Mind runs campaigns to ensure that affected people have their voices heard, and are treated fairly, positively and with respect. Through their campaigns they push for those who influence change to work with Mind to bring about improved services, better legislation, protection of legal rights and a more accepting attitude among employers.

Mind is helping to tackle the stigma attached to mental health in our society. Mental illness affects 1 in 4 people in the U.K. Some examples are, 'Depression', 'Postnatal Depression', 'Bereavement', 'ADHD' in children, 'PTSD', 'Demetia', 'Dissociative disorders', 'Eating Dissorders', 'Sexual Abuse' and 'Schizophrenia'.

It is incredibly alarming that 82 people commit suicide every week in the U.K, which is a deeply disturbing statistic. That's why your help is needed.

For more information please check out their website, www.mind.org.uk/

 

Once I have achieved my target figure of £1,000. I will be doing an "Accelerated Freefall", which is a Solo Skydive. My target date to do the jump is April 2011, but it would be fantastic to do it before that date.

I will jump out of a perfectly good aircraft at 10,000 feet and skydive solo (with nobody attached to me). Two instructors will jump with me and be by my side until approximately 5,000 feet when I pull my parachute canopy. From that point I will steer my parachute on my own but will be guided to the dropzone by ground control who will talk me down all the way.

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